Flooding like this during a previous storm that hit nearby North Royalton, is plaguing areas of Parma.File photo

Council is exploring options to resolve their issues, including creative ways to fund infrastructure repairs. One idea is a resolution that would ask Gov. John Kasich and the state legislature to establish a "Snowy Day Fund." It proposes allocating 10 percent, about $150 million, of the state's "Rainy Day Fund" to the new fund.

Communities could apply for money from the fund to help finance needed repairs to roads, curbs, bridges and sewers.

According to the resolution, which was referred to council's Finance Committee for discussion, the severe winter caused deterioration of infrastructure across the state and many communities are finding it difficult to finance the needed repairs, while the state has a hefty nest egg in reserve.

Parma officials say they are struggling to keep the budget in balance while juggling priorities like maintaining infrastructure, including sewers. They are examining all options, including some creative means of finding additional revenue.

Two weeks ago, Auditor Dennis Kish warned council that "next year will be a very tough year with our budget." He said revenue continues to drop and illustrated his point with a six-year comparison of selected revenue. His figures showed that general fund revenue in several categories dropped by nearly half in six years.

City officials main that the shortage of funds is one reason communities like Parma are having trouble keeping up with infrastructure repairs. They listened patiently for an hour and a half as the residents recounted their problems after last week's rainstorm. Many were from the southern area of the city.

Richard Stanowicki of Jeanne Drive detailed how he has done everything possible to alleviate flooding in his house.

"We replaced everything we could plumbing-wise. We take care of our home. I know what's under my house, all new PVC, but I'm not sure what's under the street," he said.

"I feel trapped in my own home," he said, adding he can't sell the house because of disclosure requirements.

"I'm not mad any anyone, but I am mad at the problem."

Greg Schultz of Regency Drive said he has lived in his house 28 years. He said many twigs, leaves and other debris flow through the area during heavy rains and can block the sewers. There is a sewer grate cover, but he said a neighbor removes it, which causes problems further down the street, including at his house.

"I've had broken pipes under my house because of the pressure. The city needs to address this. How can I sell my house?" he asked.

Jeff Conrad of Stormes Drive said he loved living in Parma and has been in his house for 24 years.

"But I don't want to live here anymore. We lived here 20 years before we had any water problems. Something has changed or broken and you have to fix it," he told council.

Cheryl Ressatar of Jacqueline Drive said it took her two years to recoup the losses after the last major flooding incident.

"We had a great basement with a kitchen. It was so nice, you could live down there," she said. Then, after her house flooded in 2011, she had to tear everything out of the basement.

She said some of her neighbors had water in their basements last week and some didn't. Some had a great deal of water in their garages and their cars were submerged.

"We're the second-last street in Parma. Nobody comes to help us," she said.

Ressatar said there is supposed to be a retention basin in the area to help hold the water, but it's not there.

"The engineer says it's on paper, it's drawn in, but it's not there."

Don and Karen Golias of Stormes Drive said they get water running down from North Royalton and Strongsville.

"I've looked at the detention basins in other cities and the one here. It should be open in the middle. There shouldn't be cattails and garbage filling the middle and dead trees on the edges. I called the last administration to do something about it," he said, "but nothing was done."

Karen Golias said their elderly neighbors had their home waterproofed and still flooded.

"We had three levels of our house damaged by flooding, including 5 feet of water in the basement the last time. We're going broke. We need help. Someone has to help. We need answers. What do we do?" she asked, pleading with council.

Kelly Frye of Regency said city officials promised to install rebar upstream to try and catch some of the large debris that can clog the sewers. He also mentioned the neighbor who removes the cover from the sewer grate.

"He took it off and six houses down the street flooded. I use my basement a lot – I run a business from there. When the grate is on, we have no flooding. But when it's off, the city, the police, nobody does anything," Frye said.

Service Director Brian Higgins said he has walked through the area and will install the rebar to try and resolve the issue. He said he spoke to Safety Director Greg Baeppler and the police will visit the neighbor in question to let him know removing the grate cover is against the law. He also will have a new cover with a locking device installed on the sewer grate.

Other residents said they have replaced drywall, carpeting, furniture and more in their basements. One said the insurance company dropped them after one claim.

"How long will our new insurance company keep us?" the resident said.

City officials and council members assured the residents they are empathetic and are doing what they can to resolve the problems.

Mayor Tim DeGeeter said the city, with help from the county, is addressing the problems systematically, but it will take time.

"I won't sit here and make idle promises that I can't keep," he said. "We are addressing sewer collapses and then something happens in another part of the city."

DeGeeter said he hopes the Ohio Supreme Court makes a satisfactory ruling soon on the $20 million in storm sewer maintenance funds collected by the Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District and frozen by litigation.

Ward 6 Councilman Lawrence Napoli said his ward was hit hard by the most recent flooding.

"My phone didn't stop ringing for 41/2 hours," he said. "I answered all the calls because I couldn't imagine going through what those people were going through and not being able to speak to a human being about it. There is nothing more gut-wrenching than getting a call from a resident with a flooding problem," he said.

Napoli said the current administration "is in the unenviable situation of inheriting a sewer system that was severely neglected." He said deteriorating sewers, crumbling and failing headwalls, residents changing the topography without thinking of their neighbors and clogged catch basins are among the problems the city faces in the fight against flooding.

"These residents are getting nailed by water that's not even theirs," he said, referring to drainage from other cities. "They've done their part."

Ward 7 Councilman Brian Brochetti said his greatest role as a councilman is advocating for residents.

"Parma is not a C-minus town. We deserve better," he said.

City Council President Sean Brennan said it is frustrating to know that the city is losing millions of dollars in funds that it previously received from the state.

"The state and federal governments are making it increasingly challenging for us to meet our infrastructure needs. We need your help," he told the residents. "Call your congressman and tell him we need help. Call the governor's office and tell him we know the state has a big pile of cash sitting in Columbus and we need them to send us some."

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